Geography plays a fundamental role in everyday life and affects, for example, the products that consumers purchase, shows displayed on TV, and languages spoken, etc. Information concerning the geographic location of a networked entity, such as a network node, an Internet domain server, and a network user may be useful for any number of reasons.
Geographic location may be utilized to infer demographic characteristics of a network user. Accordingly, geographic information may be utilized to direct advertisements or offer other information via a network that has a higher likelihood of being relevant to a network user at a specific geographic location.
Geographic information may also be utilized by network-based content distribution systems as part of a Digital Rights Management (DRM) program or an authorization process to determine whether particular content may validly be distributed to a certain network location. For example, in terms of a broadcast or distribution agreement, certain content may be blocked from distribution to certain geographic areas or locations.
Content delivered to a specific network entity, at a known geographic location, may also be customized according to the known geographic location. For example, localized news, weather, and events listings may be targeted at a network entity where the geographic location of the networked entity is known. Furthermore content may be presented in a local language and format.
Knowing the location of network entity can also be useful in combating fraud. For example, where a credit card transaction is initiated at a network entity, the location of which is known and far removed from a geographic location associated with an owner of the credit card, a credit card fraud check may be initiated to establish the validity of the credit card transaction.
There are various ways to determine the geographic location of a network entity with varying levels of accuracy. Techniques have been used to redirect a user to a particular Domain Name Server (DNS) or to redirect user clicks to click interceptor/redirectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,850 describes an electronic marketplace that allows owners of unused Internet domain names to lease the domain names using a bidding process. The system allows owners to monetize domain names and lessees to obtain customers who are redirected from targeted domain names. However, the '850 patent describes a technique for looking at the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the web surfer to determine the general geographic location of the web surfer. The geographic location associated with the IP address of the web surfer can be misleading and thus can result in inappropriate redirects. Further, the '850 patent describes a technique for the temporary use of a domain sold to a single winning bidder. The '850 patent does not describe subdividing the use of a domain by geography.